Body positioning mattress

ABSTRACT

A method of positioning a patient or person 0 to 90 degrees in an upright position or greater in a supine or prone position while maintaining neutral skeletal alignment (non flexed position) with a body positioning mattress capable of applying a vacuum process to remove air; molding the mattress around the body to maintain position. A means to place the support mattress onto a manual or motorized bed frame to position and maintain a patient or person 0 to 90 degrees or greater in the supine or prone position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to the field of providing a body positioningmattress for humans. More particularly, the present invention relates toa method of providing contour support while allowing the body to bepositioned from 0-90° or greater upright in the supine or proneposition, while continuing to provide contour support. This method maybe essential to patients confined to a supine position, or immobilewhile in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

2. Description of the Related Art

It can be appreciated that a mattress has been used for years.Typically, a mattress is used to support a human body for rest or duringan illness where a person is bedridden. While these mattresses aresuitable for comfort and to support a person during their phase of bedrest, it does not provide support during an upright position up to 90°or greater. Where a person would lose contour support with aconventional mattress during an upright position up to 90° or greater,supine or prone, this invention of a body positioning mattress allows abody to descend into a mattress which conforms to the shape of the body,preventing slippage. Utilizing a vacuum system to remove air, the bodydescends deeper into the mattress conforming to the shape of the body.The increased density of the mattress caused by the vacuum process willcreate support, molding a form around the body. Additional layers may beutilized to provide additional support and padding, promoting comfortand adding measures for the prevention of skin breakdown.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

When patients are confined to a supine position in the ICU, significantdeterioration of pulmonary function may occur. Immobility issues whichmay compromise pulmonary function stem from, but are not limited to:hemodynamic instability, refractory intracranial hypertension orincreased abdominal pressures. In instances of immobility, patients maybenefit from the ability to be positioned upright up to 90° in a supineor prone position while remaining on a bed. Many medical therapeutictreatments require alteration in body position such as head position forthe reduction of risk of aspiration and head elevation for reduction ofintracranial pressure as examples. The supine position maximizes thecompressive effect of the heart, lungs and chest wall. Compression oflung tissue leads to additional airway closure and alveolar collapse.The heart and mediastinal structures impose additional hydrostaticpressure on dependent lung regions. The weight of the blood filled heartcompresses the broad middle and dependent lung regions toward the thoraxand the spine. By placing the patient in an upright ‘standing’ positionrather than an upright ‘sitting’ position, the abdominal contents are nolonger directed-cephalad (towards the head) which encroach the thoraciccavity, minimizing lung expansion. By improving ventilation to thedependent lung regions, patients may be weaned from the ventilatorfaster, thereby decreasing risks of ventilator associated pneumonia andreducing hospital days which may reduce hospital costs.

Support of the human body with a positioning mattress may beaccomplished by creating an adaptive shape of the body. The mattresswill be encased within a cover which may utilize a vacuum process,removing air from within the mattress cover. By placing a human body ona specialty layer and then applying the vacuum process, the body willsink into the mattress as the mattress conforms to the shape of thebody. This mattress will be placed on a manual or motorized bed framethat has the ability to adjust from 0-90° upright, supine and prone. Theinvention provides' an improved method of caring for patients in the ICUwith the option of mobilizing the patient in a position from a 0 to 90°upright position either supine or prone. These and other objects andadvantages of the invention will become more apparent to a person ofordinary skill in the art in light of the following detailed descriptionand appended drawings.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmethod of caring for ICU patients requiring up to 90° upright positionsfor respiratory failure, refractory intracranial hypertension orincreased abdominal pressures.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mattress that willsupport a human body during rest whether in the 0° horizontal positionor the 90° vertical upright position in the supine or prone position.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a mattress thatwill conform to a body's shape when a body's weight is placed upon themattress and air is withdrawn from within the mattress cover causing avacuum seal. This will allow the body to sink into the mattressmaintaining the body within a molded form of the mattress when in theupright or prone position. Another object is to provide stability whenthe invention is placed on a bed frame and transitioned into the uprightposition; up to 90° or greater, supine or prone.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, this inventionmay be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings,attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings areillustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specificconstruction illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1. Body positioning mattress. This mattress will be encased within anairtight cover equipped with a suction valve. When a vacuum process isapplied through this valve, the mattress will compress within themattress cover drawing the human body down into the mattress. See FIG. 1

2. Body positioning mattress encased within a mattress cover. One wayvalve is sealed within the mattress cover. Vacuum process may be appliedby a hand held vacuum. See FIG. 2

3. This illustrates the patient upon the mattress before and aftervacuum process is applied. Note how human body sinks into the confinesof the mattress. This view is at 0° and does not reflect the utilizationof the specially designed bed frame. See FIG. 3

4. Mattress with suction applied and placed on a specially designed bedframe. Utilization of safety straps secure human body within mattresspreventing slippage and harm. See FIG. 4

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar referencecharacters denote similar elements throughout the several views, theattached figures illustrate a body positioning mattress, which comprisesa mattress within a sealed, protective layer, a vacuum port and a finalcovering layer. The above mentioned mattress may be applied to a bedframe of choosing.

FIG. 1 shows the mattress. FIG. 2 shows the mattress inside of a sealed,protective layer which has a vacuum port used to remove air. FIG. 3illustrates the patient upon the mattress before and after vacuumprocess is applied. FIG. 4 shows the patient on the mattress which isplaced on a specially designed bed frame that may be positioned in the90° upright position. Safety straps are shown which are placed aroundpatient's body to secure body to mattress and frame preventing slippageand harm.

1. A method of positioning a patient or person on a mattress 0 to 90degrees in an upright position or greater in a supine or prone positionwhile maintaining neutral skeletal alignment (non-flexed position),through a process which comprises a mattress that conforms to a humanbody's shape and a method of controlling or adjusting patientpositioning either through a manual or motorized bed frame.
 2. A bodypositioning mattress comprising: a conforming contour mattress comprisedof material capable of molding to the shape of the human body, containedwithin a mattress cover; and means for applying a vacuum process toremove air; with means for simultaneously creating and shaping a moldaround the body form within the mattress; and means to place the supportmattress on a manual or motorized bed frame to position and maintain apatient or person 0 to 90 degrees or greater in the supine or proneposition.
 3. The method of claim 2 comprises a) a mattress that allowsthe human body to create a depression into the mattress shaping thehuman body's form; b) the application of suction to create furthershaping of the body within the mattress; c) ability to elevate andmaintain a patient or person 0 to 90 degrees upright or greater in thesupine or prone position.
 4. The method of claim 2 where the mattress iscomprised of a substance capable of conforming or molding to the humanbody.
 5. The method of claim 2 where the mattress is encased within acover comprised of layers of expandable material with the ability tocreate individual compartments between material, cover and vacuumsections.
 6. The method of claim 2 where suction may be applied to themattress cover through a valve which removes air through a vacuumprocess producing a molding shape of the mattress around the body. 7.The method of claim 2 where air may be applied through a valve systemproducing a reversal of the molding properties reversing the depressionof the body's form into the mattress.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherecompartments may include a layer of porous material.